The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1887-11-12
MRS. RELchER's WILL.

ton in regard to general matters in Farm
lngton at the time | had lived there, and
ABOUT the dliferent families who resided
there when | was there, in 1899 and 1870 /
think the Abbott family was spoken of. la
cob Abbott, who lived there then: abont the
Belchers and the Buffers and matters in
general, and about her own family,
! spoke about anon the death of her faith
ing there. was present when he
died. | spoke of her sister, Emerline. as
Mrs: Beleher always called her, and Mrs.
Butler Of Newport, who had died She was
student at the academy when / was there
as principal. do not recollect just what we
did talk about, but after talking over mat
tiers In general sort of way | said to her
that had called not only to see her as a
friend, but also as the agent of the college
and SAID to her, Mrs. Belcher, after re-
membering your relatives and making be-
quests for benevolent purposes, if YOU pur-
pose to do so, the trustees would be pleased
to nave you give the college by will $4,000
either to endow chair in the college or to
build hall to be called for your name. Or.
y! Il you are not apie to give sum so large as
lnat, give smaller sum, the same to be put
into the hands of trustees, to remain in their
nands, the interest to be added to the princi-
pal from year to year until that sum shall
amount to $4,000. the same then to be paid
over TO the. college for the purpose which
| am indicating that is, either to
endoW chair to the college or to build
hail. Mrs. Belcher said that she would con-
slider the matter and let me know. When |
arrived at her house that evening and an
nounced my name she knew me- She knew
me by reputation; she knew all about INV
work, ana was very much interested in II
and thought 1t was doing good work. We
had some conversation as to the work the
college was doing. | stated the need of men
s st .d pastors sis ior our churches. l think l
New England, that we had about five hmm
dred churches and about the same humber of
ministers. She said she knew yery we'll
the men were passing away and that men
must pc educated to take their places !;
that things were not rs they were when she
was young that ministers must be educated
as Wen as physicians and lawyers, and told
her that the institution was without a peer
IN us work in New England, and that its
" wo stot was iargeIy missionary. am unable
perhaps was there an hour or more L am
not able to say. | think on that visit to
bennington stopped with Mr.. Butler that
night and left the next morning. That is ac-
cording to the best of my recollection.
81 next visited Mrs Belcher in The early
part OF 1873. as nearly as can remember. /
tnlnk TINS call was in the evening. and |
think stopped at Mr.. Buffers. We then
talked OF general matters Mrs. Belcher had
great many questions to ask me about the
70 Lewiston, and told her l would like to
have see the college; that wanted her to
know Just where she would be putting her
money II she should decide to leave the col
iege,anythlng.by her will. She said that she
would De pleased to 60 down, and would do
SO some time; that she should be very glad
TO see Mrs. Cheney.
II think 1t was about two years before 7
called upon Mrs. Belcher again / believe il
wa, was "a the latter part of 1874. l do not recol-
iect the particular circumstances of NV going
there, believe she told me at that time
tnat she proposed to give the bulk of her
property to the college,"
Q.-Up to the time she had made that
statement OF her purpose to you had you
ever MADE any suggestion to her different
from what you have stated in regard to the
giving of the $4,000?
A.-Never.
Q-Had you ever made a suggestion TO
ner IN regard to giving the bulk of her prop
erty to the college? f-0f
A.-Never.
When Mrs Belcher announced to me
that that was her purpose it was great sur-
prise. do not recollect that she then said
anytDlng In regard to having made will. or
lH nf MN. 40 not reeollect particular
talked over general matters, she was ALWAYS
Ia the habit OF asking me questions aboilt
the college, to know how we were getting OBJ
ana about our work: She seemed to be VERY
much interested in it,"
character nf
THESE calls upon Mrs. Belcher from the fall
OF 1879, when she had announced her inten-
tion Oh giving her property to the college.
down own to the date of the will?
wen, OF course | wanted to know what
ner decision would be. had that object in
view, II she should come to any decision.
hau Always called as friend. | was hoping
all the while that she had made her Wilt
ana that II she had done so she would fell
me Just what she had done for the college,
a
change OF purpose on hel part after the an
nouncement of her intention in the fall of
1874. think the visit that | made there he
lore making the will she said she still pur-
posed 70 give the bulk of her property to
the college. had never urged her to make
her WILL said this to her: That when a
person has decided what to do with his prop
cry, IL ne purposed disposing of it by will.
the sooner he made his will the BETTER
=. Q.-On the evening of Aug Sth was any,
lung SAID IN regard to making her will. and
If so, what? -' A"u
A.-She said to ME that she had decided to
make her. will, and wanted that should
write 1t for her, and then she stated what
t the contents OF the will would be; that is, l
tnlnk she told me that evening what She pur-
posed to do in making her will, her beouests
tnat she purposed to make. She purposed to
give her sister, Mrs. Besse, $500: and her
sister; Mrs. Butler, $500; and her nephew.
MI; Nathan +. Backus, $500; and the re-
SHS "oheOu w ~ W bllt CUllcHe. Die
Sald she was not particular just how it was
devoted; that it might be divided. one-haif
OF IL should go to endowing a chair in the
ccoIiege, or erecting building, and the rest
t1r tne fund. What she wanted was that
the property should be kept together: that
as much as possible should be kept per
manent fund, the interest on it to be ex
pended. do not think the will was written
that evening; 1t was written the next day. i'm
tne southeast parlor. Mrs. Belcher was
present when it was written.
You wrote it, did your
Al wrote it,
q. How did you write it? That is. who
directed how it should be written?
:, AIRS. Belcher. l sat down and wrote
into your Office. 0'''-'o
Q.-Precisely as she dictated?
A.-Preclsely as she dictated. wrote the
Dequest in regard to Mrs. Besse. There was
not the least discussion about it. 1t was sim
ply her direction followed by me. AS to the be-
quest to Mrs. Butler, she told me how to
write that, and wrote it as she directed me
10 write 1t; as to the beQuest for $500. /
wrote IL just as she told me to write it. In
none OF those cases was there a word of dis
cussion between her and myself as to how
much they should be- 1t was simply her
direction to me, and that was all. When it
camo to the residuary clause, Mrs. Belcher
determined that She determined as to the
division of the rest of tn property. half to
tne hall and half to the professors chair.
The part relating to the principal being in
vested, and the income from it being used.
was under her direction. The portion
In relation to the care of the lot
n the cemetery was made by her direction
We had some conversion about that She
said the time might come when the bodies in
the ola cemetery would be removed into
new cemetery, and if that should be done
she wanted lot purchased When it came
to the executor she asked me about it. and |
suggested Major Belcher, who is present
here; he had always done all her business: i
am not certain l suggested his name. bnt
think did. am <srtain suggested the
name of Timothy S. Belcher and Hon. Allen
Currier. She wanted me to be the executor
and asked me some questions as to whether
that direction
Q.-Had you ever, in any instance, dis
ssuaded her, or attempted to dissaude her
from anything she proposed to do in behalf
of her relatives?
A.-Never,
Ii II